Project Air Day 3
Heavy rain and wind may have ruled out any chances of aerial training
on Red Bull's customized skate ramp, but the team Performance Coaches
were rubbing their hands in anticipation at today's specially scheduled
"Hell Session."Was it appropriately named? Some surfers will say 'yes', having survived a gruelling two hours of mental and physical testing.
A subdued theory session this morning (in a nice air-conditioned seminar room) preceded the 'real deal'; a session lead by Michael Gervais, a High Performance Psychologist from Pinnacle Performance Inc (California), held in the wind and beating rain of Lennox Head's northern beach.
The session was structured specifically to push the limits of the surfers by putting them in a "very uncomfortable space" where they would need to challenge their regular coping patterns.
Then when they tire? "We push them even further," explained Gervais.
Dozens of push ups, sprints, crawls, swims, sit-ups and other annoying tests of endurance were performed, before the surfers were required to break and take complex mental tests, which included problem solving and memory assessments, under duress.
As Gervais explained: "The design hope is to help the team riders explore a second and possibly third gear they've always had, but hadn't really known it. We examine their body language, try and help them understand and recognise their own internal dialogue and how they speak to themselves in pressure moments."
Gervais described the surfers as "self-starters" in an individual sport who were regularly required to make decisions with high danger involved. As a result, they were well prepared, knew how to 'dig deep' and were committed to the process of growing and challenging themselves.
"There is danger involved in surfing, there is choices to be made around commitment. I can say these surfers have a similar capacity to face intense situations that I have found working with Ultimate Fighters (and the UFC)."
A full debrief session and post-analysis will take place tomorrow, and it will include the results from the many curious puzzles that required solving.
But until then, there is a few ice baths on the agenda, dinner and lots of Zzzzzz's to catch up on.
Oh, and the jet-skis came out briefly, but we're too tired to talk about that right now ... Guess that means the UFC fighters are safe from any new competition for the time being!
Dozens of push ups, sprints, crawls, swims, sit-ups and other annoying tests of endurance were performed, before the surfers were required to break and take complex mental tests, which included problem solving and memory assessments, under duress.As Gervais explained: "The design hope is to help the team riders explore a second and possibly third gear they've always had, but hadn't really known it. We examine their body language, try and help them understand and recognise their own internal dialogue and how they speak to themselves in pressure moments."
Gervais described the surfers as "self-starters" in an individual sport who were regularly required to make decisions with high danger involved. As a result, they were well prepared, knew how to 'dig deep' and were committed to the process of growing and challenging themselves.
"There is danger involved in surfing, there is choices to be made around commitment. I can say these surfers have a similar capacity to face intense situations that I have found working with Ultimate Fighters (and the UFC)."A full debrief session and post-analysis will take place tomorrow, and it will include the results from the many curious puzzles that required solving.
But until then, there is a few ice baths on the agenda, dinner and lots of Zzzzzz's to catch up on.
Oh, and the jet-skis came out briefly, but we're too tired to talk about that right now ... Guess that means the UFC fighters are safe from any new competition for the time being!
i like it!
test.